Yarn-feeding device for knitting-machines.



R. W. SCOTT.

YARN FEEDING DEVICE FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-13.19M-

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

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APPLICATION FILED DECTI3| 19 15. 1,256,U6., I Patented Feb. 12,'1918.

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ROBERT w. scoTTf E BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIlIGNOR, BY nESnE ASSIGNMENTS, '10 ScoTT & WILLIAMS, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION 0E MASSACHUSETTS.

YARN-FEEDING DEll'IGE FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1%, llfillld.

Application filed Decemberlg, 1915. Serial No. 66,425.

vices for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to yarn-feeding devices for knitting machines, comprlsing means adapted for use in a circular knitting machine having a dial or instrument carrier mounted to coiiperate with a circle of needles, as in rib knitting machines or in machines having automatic transfer devices,

looping devices, pile-forming devices or other devices necessitating instruments mounted in a dial or carrier near the needles.

Yarn-feeding devices cobperating with such dial knitting machineshave heretofore been rendered unsatisfactory by reason of failure to provide for entering a yarn while it is guided on both sides of the needles at the time of entry, the presence of the dial and of its cam-cap or cap-plate preventing,

' so far as I am aware, cooperation with any knitting machine of this class in the prior art of that class of yarn-feeding devices by which a yarn fed while in work from one side of the needles may be entered between the needles while still being guided in a position favorable for entry by means mounted on the other side of the needles.

In the machines" of the prior art resort has been to entry of the yarns by friction, or movemen of a movable'yarn guide taking place wholly with respect to another guide on the same side of the needles; and not positively by securing the passage of the run of yarn between an internal and external guide between the needles, so thatthe said yarn is taken inevitably and accurately at the desired point in the series of needles.

Objects of my invention are to provide in connection with such machines devices for feeding a yarn, changing yarns, and if dework. Further objects are to provide for sectionally splicing-the fabric in machines of this character, and to improve the construction and operation of theyarn-feeding devices in connection with obstructions mounted at the back of the needles in a circular knitting machine.

Ihave illustrated my invention in connection with yarn-feeding devices comprising yarn changing means and also comprising sectional splicing devices, further objects of my invention being to provide for entranceand exit of the splicing yarn in relation to the dial and its cap, and to provide for Seetional splicing whereby a float of yarn is created. y

w hile mv new device is a plicable to knitting machines of many different types, I have illustrated my invention in connection I with a knitting machine'of the type shown,

described and claimed in my United States Letters Patent No. 1,148,005, dated July 27, 1915, as modified by the attachment to and cobperation with such machine of an instrument-dial and driving means therefor mounted in relation to the needles. The present devices therefore comprise improvements upon the yarn-feeding devices described in my said patent and claimed in my application Serial No. 845,844 filed June 18 1914, a continuation of the application resulting in said Letters Patent. 1

I will now explain my invention in connection with the accompanying drawings in -which- Figure l'is a plan above the bed-plate and latch guard rin of a hosierv knitting machine equi ped with my new devices, partly in section on line 11 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. .3 is a detail front elevation of the dial, its driving means and attachments;

Fig. 4 is a diagram development of the needle cams;

F ig. 5 is a diagram plan showin one ar-' rangement ofthe cylinder needles:

Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4:.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the machine may be' provided above the bed-plate D for the knitting head, preferably as an attach- "ment of the latch guard-ring 550, with a bracket 1 having horizontal bearings for a short shaft 2 and a vertical bearing 8 for a center spindle 3 held in said bracket at p 7 the center of rotation of the needle-carrier .or cylinder 260 for needles n, and servingif desired as a carriage for an instrument dial 4, which may be driven, if so desired, by shaft 3, bevel gears g, 9 and shaft 2, driven by gears g, 9*, 9 g, from main shaft 32 for cylinder 260. Bracket 1 supports in fixed relation thereto a cap or plate 5, which may if desired carry on its under surface cams for actuating the needles or other instruments mounted in dial 4. Preferably plate 5 has a central boss-b in which shaft 3 is free, the plate resting upon the rotating dial and being held stationary by a pin 10 in a bore in said plate and fixed in bracket 1. In some cases the dial may be above its actuating cap, and the plate 5may then be any cover or support arranged to be held stationary with respect to the yarn-feeding means; and I may employ my devices in a machine in which the needle-carrier and dial arestationary, the yarn-feed and actuating cams rotating, in which case the latch-ring 550 and its attachments including plate 5 will rotate together. and may be held in relation by substantially the same devices as those shown, as readily understood by those skilled in the art. Plate 5 may carry on its 7 upper surface guiding, clamping and severing means for a series of yarns fed by movable yarn-guide's preferably made as a series of yarn-fingers F to F pivoted on a stud in an extension 555 of latch guard ring 550. These yarn-fingers may be constructed and operate substantially as explained in my said Letters Patent, one or more of them, such as F being arranged and actuated to feed a splicing-yarn a: during the passage of a predetermined segment of the needles a, for instance of substantially half ofsaid needles. One means, as shown in said Letters Patent, for actuating sucha yarn-guide for this purpose may comprise a cam rotating with apart attached to or'moving in unison with the needle-carrier, such as webholder bed 295, Fig. 2, reacting with a lug on a thrust-bar 460 to move the thrust-bar laterally against a lug s on the splicing yarn guide F to lift saidguide to the position shown at 7 during each passage of the same part of the rotating circle of needles, thereby to throw yarn m above and within the circle of needles. Splicing yarn a: will then be enteredmgain during thesame revolution by return of the yarn-guide F to the operative position, for instance by a spring f, when the rotating cam has passed.

The yarn-finger F and others of the series when rendered inoperative so as to cease splicing or to change the yarns will be lifted to the position shown at 2, Fig. 2, by the action of a pattern-surface or other means lifting the thrust-bars 460, as explained in my said patent.

Yarn-fingers at position 9 or position a guide their yarns, thus withdrawn from the needles, but attached to the back of the fabric rotating with the needles in the direction of arrow at, Fig. 1, above the plate 5.

A yarn so guided above plate 5 is received at a level from which it will later be returned to the needles in a favorable position for entrance, plate 5 being cut away as shown at 6, or other changes made in its dimensions and position conformably to its use either as a cam-cap or cover for dial 4. Preferably the receiving-guide 7 for the yarn thus'thrown out of work is also a clamp for holding the yarn until it is again entered.

I have shown for instance a clam in" uide 7 pivoted on a screw 9 in an arm 11 fast to the central'boss 7), said guide being bent upwardly and reduced at its end 12 to stand above plate 5 and near the needles to receive a yarn, and being flattened to rest upon the plate 5, against which the guide is held by a light spring 13 surrounding screw. 9, by.

turning which the spring-pressure may be adjusted.

The angular position of guide and clamp 7 is such as to bring it nearer the needles and the operative position of the yarn-fingers than in the prior devices such as shown in my said patent.

Yarns withdrawn from the fabric and entering under guide 7 are preferably severed to break their attachment to the forming fabric, and for this purpose a cutting device preferably made as shears 15, 16 may be provided. In the illustrative form shown, a milling-cut or kerf 17 is formed in the upper surface of plate 5 to house the point and preferably the lower edge of fixed blade 15 attached to a flat on boss 6 in any convenientmanner, for instance by a shoulder screw 18 entering boss b, upon which screw the movable blade 16 is pivoted. The shears are actuated through a lever 611 pivoted at 612 to the latch-guard 550, said lever having one end above one of the pattern-actuated thrust-bars 460, substantially as explained in connection with the yarn-severing mechanism of my said Letters Patent, the other end of said lcver being bent upward to pass above bracket 1 and substantially into the.

plane of blade 16. A wire link 19 or other suitable. connection extends through holes 1n blade 16 and lever 611 respectively, prefer-- .of the fabric on the needles or the instruments in dial 4 in direction a will then causes the withdrawn yarn to sweep the edge and 1 pass above plate 5, under guide 7, and into the opened clamp formed by said guide and the surface of plate 5. The yarn may be positioned by a pin 23 projecting fromplate 5, and will also enter the yarn severing device, for instance passing above blade 15 at or near the completion of the first half-revo lution of the needle-carrier or dial after withdrawal of the yarn. The severing device 15, 16 and the clamp 5, 7 are then operated to seven and clamp the cut end, the whole operation preferably taking place during one of the intermittent forward movements of the pattern surface (not shown) controlling bars 460.

It will be observed that Ihave found it unneessary to provide for guiding a yarn to be wholly withdrawn from the fabric beneath the dial or plate '5 at any point. In practice the operation of the severing device is found to be reliable'for the release of the end of yarn left attached to the fabric, which is comparatively short.

If the dial 4 is provided with needles for rib knitting, the severed end of yarn is taken into the sinker-wales of the ribbed fabric being formed. If the fabric is not engaged following the place of exit of the yarn by instruments indial 4, or is subsequently dropped from such instruments, then the ie ered end is left free at the back of the a me.

In any case when the fabric is to be con- I tinned another one of the sbries of yarn fingers will have been positioned prior to the exit of the withdrawn yarn to feed its yarn to the needles, sothat both the entering and withdrawn yarns are taken by some of the needles n together, in a well understood manner, to preserve continuity of the fabric. As indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, such yarns as are carried byyarn-fingers in the upper position 2' are held by clamp 7 and pin 23 so that thedownward sweep of a yarn-finger will enter them across the series of needles n. Referringnow to Fig. 4, the movements of needles n are preferably controlled, for the usual stocking-knitting purposes, by stitclrcams 360, 361, cooperating with a top center cam 357 cut away at 26, whereby at the end of the series of yarn-fingers first approached by needles a moving inthe direction a for rotary knitting, the needles stand relatively higher than at the other end of the series of yarn-fingers. By this arrangement yarn in guide F 'f, which is positioned by clamp 7, etc., at the most unfavorable angle for entry of any of the yarns, is permitted a positive movement into the space between the needles deeper than that of a yarn finger more favorably. positioned. By

this arrangement I am enabled to overcome any difliculty in the entrance of the yarns for yarn-changing due to the relative height of the obstruction formed by the dial and plate 5.

For sectional splicing, as above mentioned, when one of the yarn-fingers such as F, having been worked in time with the passage of a segment of the needles to enter and remove the yarn during each revolution for the desired period, is thereafter withdrawn, the splicing yarn 0a issevered and clamped by the above described severing and clamping means in the same manner as the other yarns.

During the splicing operation it is inexpedient to sever the splicing yarn by the severing means 16, 17 for the other yarns, and desirable to float the splicing yarn within the forming fabric without strain, as well as necessary to cause entry and exit of the splicing yarn accurately at the borders of the segment of needles intended to receive it.

For thefirst entry of the splicing yarn, held idly in clamp 7, yarn-finger F is dropped from position 2 to operative position by the release of its thrust-bar 460 by the pattern-surface, whereupon the yarn strikes across the needles at a place determined by the time of this movement. As shown in Fig. 4, entry at a predetermined place in the needles may be provided for by the depression of all the needles except the needles to receive the splicing yarn at an earlier time with respect to the place of the splicing-yarn finger, all of the needles still being moved at the place for recelving yarn through the same vertical distance.

One

device for this purpose is a thin fixed cam 25, Figs. 4 and 6, at and of shorter vertical dimensions than the following stitch-cam 360, cam 25 being radially in a position to engage only such needles n Figs. 5 and 6, as have long butts, the usual series of shorthutt needles 'h', (preferably constituting all the needles used in the heel and toe knitting) passing across the face of cam 25, to be first depressed by stitch-cam 360. In some cases I prefer to splice a segment wider than the heel and toe, and for this purpose provide needles n having butts of an intermediate length in any desired number, to be taken by the usual stocking knitting devices in the same paths as the longbutt needles n but also of a length to pass the cam 25 without being depressed.

The medium butt needles of are a part of the segment of needles n intended to take 'with respect to the.long-butt segment of.

The motion of the splicing yarn when laid upon the needles by motion of finger F from position 2 to operative position, and when removed by motion from operative position to position 2 is timed by the cam on bed 295, which may be substantially as shown in my said patent, and of dimensions to cause the splicing yarn finger to operate coincidentally with passage of these offset places.

When the splicing yarn is withdrawn to permit the passage of the segment of needles not intended to take, it, the dial, plate 5, and its attachments constitute an obstruction to freely floating the yarn :0 across the circle of needles, so that yarn as can not remain unbroken in this position.

In order to dispose of this float, I make use of a guide passed across the needles n and beneath the dial at the region of the depression of needles 1?. by stitch cam 360.

This guide may be an instrument P employed at another time in the operation of the machine as a welt-presser, to cause the passage of fabric held at the cylinder or the dial away from the instruments holding it and in a fold under the dial, and I do not herein claim said instrument except in combination with the splicing-yarn feeding devices with which said instrument J cooperates in a manner now to be described.

Said instrument P may be made in any convenient form, as shown comprising a thin spring metal body pivoted at p. on a fixed part, as a support for the latch-ring 550, said body terminating in a downwardlybent cam-end adapted to pass over the depressed needles n and their web-holders, and under the dial 4, when rocked about pivot p. An actuating connection therefor may be arranged as shown, comprising a connection 17 made as a wire link downwardly bent to take in a hole in instrument P and passed through a hole in upright arm p of a rocker p free to swing on stud 472 in a fixed part of the machine. A compression spring 1) surrounds link 79 between arm p and a stop on the link. Rocker p is provided with a horizontal arm 2 adapted to move the rocker against gravity or a spring, for instance when lifted by a lug p adjustable on a pattern-controlled connection such as bar a, which may be the bar shown in my said patent for actuating the yarn-take-up mechanism. WVhenever splicing is to be done, bar i is lifted by the pattern surface to move the cam-end of instrument P inward as shown in Fig. 1.

Whenever a yarn-finger such as splicing finger F is lifted to position 7 cam-end 10 now encounters the yarn withdrawn by it before the yarn withdrawn can extend above the plate 5, and guides the end of the yarn attached to the fabric to sweep under the dial, by the relative motion of the fabric, into a float defining an increasing chord of the circle of needles n, the yarn pulling ofi from the elevated finger through the space between the needles and the edges of dial 4 and plate 5.

A' splicing-yarn so positioned, although held behind the needles at an angleunfavorable for entry by motion of the movable guide such as splicing yarn finger F can nevertheless be accurately entered by a timed movement of the finger in cotiperation with the described means for offsetting the approaching and receding ends of the segment of needles to take it. The abnormally-moved long-butt needles of, for instance, tend to resist receiving a yarn entered upon them from such an angle, so that dropping finger F prior to the time for entrance will still secure taking the yarn by the leading needle a when that needle passes.

The angular distance of rotation between the elevated finger and the guide, such as presser P, may be comparatively small, and the described action, as for splicing, will still be permitted if the entire remaining space. between needles and dial is occupied by instruments or fabric, so long as said small distance between'the yarn-feed point and the presser P remains unobstructed. I may therefore splice a fabric undergoing operations on instruments both in cylinder 260 and dial 4, if desired, as well as fabrics having parts formed on one set of instruments and parts formed on both'sets at different times. I

I do not herein claim the genus illustrated by the machine having an instrument-dial 5 and the devices for supporting and operating it, the said invention being claimed in my application Serial No. 66,424,

. filed December 13, 1915.

What I claim is:

1. A circular knitting machine having a circle of needles, a dial and plate above said dial within the needles, means for supporting a pluralityof movable yarn changing yarn guides without the needles, and means for causing relative rotation between said needles and said supporting means and plate, in combination with guide and severing devices adapted to receive and sever any of the yarn withdrawn from the needles and floated above and over said' dial andplate in a position approaching a diameter of said circle, said severing devices being mounted on and above said plate.

2. A circular knitting machine having in combination aneedle-carrier and series of needles, a dial on one side of the needles, a plate above said dial, a latch guard on the other side of said needles, yarn feeding means mounted on said latch guard, and driving means for causing relative movement between said needles and dial, and said plate and yarn feeding means and latch means mounted on and above said plate for receiving and severing a yarn withdrawn by movement of the yarn guide.

- 4. A circular knitting machine having in combination a series of needles, an instrument dial. mounted near said needles, a capplate adapted to carry actuating means for instruments in said dial, yarn feeding means mounted on the other side of the needles from said cap plate, adapted to withdraw a yarn from said needles above said cap-plate,

and yarn guiding and severing means for Y said yarn mounted on top of said cap-plate.

' 5. A circular knitting machine having in combination a needle-carrier and needles, an instrument dial mounted near the needles, a series of yarn fingers adapted to be moved above and toward the backs of the needles, in combination with a plate above said dial and means on the upper surface of said plate for guiding and severing a yarn removed from the needles by movement of one of said yarn-fingers.

6. A knitting machine having a circle of needles, a series of cooperating instruments in a dial mounted at the backs of the needles, and operating means for said instru ments comprising a cap for said dial, a yarn 40 feeding guide mounted exterior of the needles adapted to remove its yarn above and- -within the needles, and yarn-guiding and severing means adapted to receive a yarn so withdrawn from knitting mounted on said dial cap. Y e 7. Aknitting machine having in combination needles, yarn-feed devices for inserting and withdrawing yarns, a dial, instruments in said dial,'an actuating cam cap for said instruments having a depressed upper surface, andyarn guiding means for a withdrawn yarn mounted to cooperate with said depressed surface, to guide a withdrawn yarn into contact with said depressedsur face, whereby the instruments in said dial land the withdrawn yarn may be caused to cooperate with the needles in planes closely adjacent. n

8. Yarn-feeding devices for knitting machines having 'an instrument dial comprising a splicing yarn inserting and withdrawing mechanism and means for guiding a float of withdrawn splicing yarn beneath the dial.

9. A knittin machine having a series of needles, a dia a movable splicing-yarn the needles, and an implement movable over guide, and actuating means for withdrawing said splicing-yarn guide from operative position during passage of a segment of the needles, in combination with means adapted to be positioned during movement of said splicing-yarn guide to guide the withdrawn splicing-yarn beneath the dial.

10. A knitting machine having adial, a series of movable yarn guides, and means for severing and clamping the yarns of any of said guides thrown to an idle position above the dial, in combination with means for actuating one of said guides at times during each passage of a segment of the H needles to withdraw its yarn, for sectional 8O splicing, and means to guidethe yarn so withdrawn wholly beneath the dial. a

11. A knitting machine having a dial, needles and a sectional splicing device including means for severing and clamping the splicing-yarn above the dial, in combination with a movable implement adapted to lead splicing-yarn floated behind the needles beneath the dial.

12. A knitting machine having a dial, needles, and a sectional splicing device adapted to be worked at predetermined times only,= comprising means for severing and holding the splicing-yarn above the dial during inactivlty of saidsplicing device, in combine; tion with an implement movable over the needles to lead splicing-yarn floated behind a segment of the needles beneath the dial, and means for positioning said implement during activity of said splicing devices.

13. An automatic knitting machine having needles, a dial, and a welt-presser adapted at timesto determine passage of fabric formed at the needles under the dial, in com bination with a sectional splicing device whereby a splicing-yarn is floated behind the needles when said device is active, means for rendering said splicing device active at certain times, and means for positioning said welt-presser to guide floated yarn under the dial during said times. t

14. Splicing mechanism for use in knitting machines having a circle of needles and yarn-feeding means adapted for relative rotation, and in which the space within'said circle of needles is obstructed, comprising in combination a yarn-guide movable behind the needles and above a narrow free space between said obstruction and the backs of the needles and under said obstruction at a place to the rear of and near the position of said yarn guide with respect to the direction of relative rotation of said needles to thereby stand across said free space, whereby 'to gulde a yarn when withdrawn by said yarn guide under said obstruction 15. A knitting machine havmg 1n comb1- nation needles, stitch cams, means for causing relative movement between said needles and cams, means for causing a segment of the needles to be retracted at the stitch cams at an earlier time than an adjacent segment of the needles, a yarn-guide and means for moving it into active position on one side of the needles in relation to the retracting needles, during passage of one of said seg ments, and means on the other side of the needles for maintaining a float 0f the yarn near the needles and in the general direction of said relative motion, whereby entrance upon the needles of said yarn takes place only at the border of a segment of said needles.

16. A knitting machine having needles in series having butts of difi'erent lengths, stitch cams for retracting all of said needlebutts comprising a supplemental cam contacting with longer butts only to move them through a part of their retraction at an earlier time than shorter butts, in combination with a yarn guide adapted to move a yarn from an idle position behind, close to, and lying in the general direction of the series of needles to an active position in re- 7 lation to the retracting needles, whereby to cause the needles having the longer butts to re ect the yarn and the others to take it.

17. The combination in a knitting machine of a retracting stitch cam, a supplemental cam having a retracting face near and in advance of a part of the face of said stitch-cam, needles having butts of different lengths some of which only contact with said supplemental cam; a splicing-yarn guide, and means to operate said guide to deliver its yarn in relation to needles retracted by said supplemental cam and to other needles prior to their retraction by said stitch cam.

18. A knitting machine having in combi-' nation needles, a plate mounted behind the needles, said plate, having a recessed portion, a guide mounted for movement into and out of contact with said recessed portion whereby to clamp a yarn upon a surface of said portion, and a severing device havingda movable blade adapted to actuate said gui e. a a

19. A knitting machine having in combination needles and a latch-guard mounted for movement into and out of operative .relation to said needles, movable yarn guides mounted on and removable with said latch guard, a bearing bracket carried by said latch-guard, acenter spindle and means for rotating said spindle carried by said bracket, an instrument dial carried by said spindle, and a plate having thereon yarn severing and guiding devices cooperating with said yarn guides and held in a constant relation to said latch guard by a hearing on'and means for preventing rotation with said center spindle.

20. A circular knitting machine having in combination a removable latch-guard and yarn feeding means removable therewith, a center spindle and means to support said spindle for rotation in a constant relation to said latch guard, a plate having a central bearing boss on said spindle, means to hold said plate against rotation, and a yarnclamp and yarn-severing means mounted on said boss and held thereby in a constant relation to said yarn feeding means.

21. A knitting machine having thereln a circle of cylinder needles and a carrier therefor, a dial, and means for actuating instruments in said dial, a plurality of yarn! changing yarn guides, and meansmounted above said dial for receiving and severing yarns Withdrawn from knitting thereby; in combination with a yarn guide for sect onal splicing, means for actuating said spl cing yarn guide, and means adapted to guide a splicing arn floated thereby under the dial.

Signe byme at Boston, Massachusetts, this tenth day of December, 1915.

ROBERT w. soorr. 

